Below are a few examples of how writing to learn can engage your students in deeper processing of materials from varying subject areas.
In a mathematics class
Analyzing the Process
Sometimes students are baffled by the explanations teachers give of how things happen because teachers move too quickly or easily through the process analysis. A quick run-through of an equation is often just not enough for students struggling to learn new material.
A more useful approach to process analysis--from the learners' point of view--is to trace in writing the steps required to complete the process or to capture the thinking that leads from one step to the next. Students can either write while or after they complete each problem. Particularly when students get stuck in the middle of a problem, writing down why they completed the steps they did will usually help someone else (a classmate, tutor, or teacher) see why the student experienced a glitch in problem-solving. Similarly, teachers can look over the process analyses to see if students have misapplied fundamental principles or if they are making simple mistakes. In effect, students can concentrate on problem-solving rather than on minor details, and they can move from simple procedures followed by rote into a deeper understanding of why they are solving problems appropriately.
from http://wac.colostate.edu/intro/pop5i.cfm
In a science class
Post hoc analysis: After an event is reported in the general news media or in your disciplinary media, ask students to reflect on
what happened
why it happened
what it means to your field
Various science disciplines, for instance, could analyze the Pathfinder mission to Mars by focusing on appropriate elements of the actual event.
from http://wac.colostate.edu/intro/pop5q.cfm
In Physical Education class
Ask individuals or groups to analyze a real problem--gleaned from industry reports, scientific journals, personal experience, management practices, law, etc. Students must write about the problem and a solution they could implement.
from http://wac.colostate.edu/intro/pop5k.cfm
Below are a few examples of how writing to learn can engage your students in deeper processing of materials from varying subject areas.
In a mathematics class
Analyzing the Process
Sometimes students are baffled by the explanations teachers give of how things happen because teachers move too quickly or easily through the process analysis. A quick run-through of an equation is often just not enough for students struggling to learn new material.
A more useful approach to process analysis--from the learners' point of view--is to trace in writing the steps required to complete the process or to capture the thinking that leads from one step to the next. Students can either write while or after they complete each problem. Particularly when students get stuck in the middle of a problem, writing down why they completed the steps they did will usually help someone else (a classmate, tutor, or teacher) see why the student experienced a glitch in problem-solving. Similarly, teachers can look over the process analyses to see if students have misapplied fundamental principles or if they are making simple mistakes. In effect, students can concentrate on problem-solving rather than on minor details, and they can move from simple procedures followed by rote into a deeper understanding of why they are solving problems appropriately.
from http://wac.colostate.edu/intro/pop5i.cfm
In a science class
Post hoc analysis: After an event is reported in the general news media or in your disciplinary media, ask students to reflect on
Various science disciplines, for instance, could analyze the Pathfinder mission to Mars by focusing on appropriate elements of the actual event.
from http://wac.colostate.edu/intro/pop5q.cfm
In Physical Education class
Ask individuals or groups to analyze a real problem--gleaned from industry reports, scientific journals, personal experience, management practices, law, etc. Students must write about the problem and a solution they could implement.
from http://wac.colostate.edu/intro/pop5k.cfm